The Path to Software Attestation Contractors will soon have to attest to the government that any software they provide to the Government is secure, based on the Government’s definition of secure. The path to software attestation requirements for contractors started in May 2021 when the White House issued Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity....
Recently I was in a meeting with ten other people and we were trying to resolve a risky business situation that had legal and financial implications for the company. Discussing risky business situations with this group of folks was nothing new. In fact, we were having the same conversation over the same situation without any...
For small federal government contractors like SBIR, Small Business Innovation Research, contract holders often the goal is to grow so the business will be purchased by another company. When these contractors are in this growth phase, the founders are doing everything: drafting code, drafting engineering specs, developing business, identifying subcontractors, hiring employees, answering the phone,...
U.S. technology and products are ending up in North Korean missiles which are ending up in Russia which Russia then uses in its war against the Ukraine. One does not need to be a knowledgeable on U.S. export control laws to reach the conclusion that this fact demonstrates that U.S. companies with export-controlled items and...
What Happens In a Shut Down It will happen fast! DoD guidance on the shutdown says it will take them about a half a day to shut down. Government facilities will be closed. The Government will define employees as essential or as non-essential. Essential government employees will be expected to continue working. Non-essential government employees...
The Government Has Banned TikTok The U.S. Government has banned from Government IT systems and Government devices, the TikTok app, or any application created or sold by ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok. The ban applies Government contractors and subcontractors to some degree as well. The ban was issued because of U.S. Government concerns that...
Overview There are times, when a government employee may ask a contractor to provide supplies or services without a contract; to provide supplies and services for free; or to start performance before a contract is signed. Most contractors will do so since they are relying on the guidance of those in the government on how...
Who Am I? A philosophical question that people have asked themselves for centuries is, “Who am I?” A big question that arguably we spend our lives trying to answer but never really get there. A question that is closely related to “Who am I” that you may be asking of your business is, “Am I...
Today I had to deliver unwelcome news to a client – it is costly to do this. There are essentially two buckets of costs when a lawyer delivers unwelcome news: The cost of the lawyer’s time – borne by the client The cost of a broken heart – borne by the lawyer. Read on for...
Thoughts of suspension and debarment bring to my mind Bobby Darin’s song, Call Me Irresponsible: Call me irresponsible Yes I’m unreliable Why? Because acquisition regulations require federal government contractors to be “responsible” businesses and the Uniform Guidance regulations require the same of non-profits and other entities that are awarded federal government cooperative agreements and federal...
